Geeks, Guitars and Guinness

We shall go on to the end,
We shall fight in France,
We shall fight on the seas and oceans,
We shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air,
We shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be,
We shall fight on the beaches,
We shall fight on the landing grounds,
We shall fight in the fields and in the streets,
We shall fight in the hills;
We shall never surrender

And then Aces High begins.

I think this is what is going to get me through this week. (Yes, I am going to see Iron Maiden on Friday :)

Posted by Skadz at 12:18 PM | Permalink

Hennessey's Upstairs has another incredible show coming up this week. On Wednesday, they will have Rose Hill Drive with Township.

I saw Rose Hill Drive last time they played Hennessey's and they rocked. They are a classic rock band and they rock out real hard. It felt like seeing Led Zeppelin in a small club. Just remember to bring your ear plugs :)

Posted by Skadz at 10:41 PM | Permalink

Got nothing to do for Halloween night? Come see some great musical tributes. Head over to Hennessey's Upstairs to see:

Joe Carson Band as Jeff Buckley
Girls Guns and Glory as Ryan Adams
Cassavettes as Neil Young
28 Degrees Taurus as The Velvet Underground
The Main Drag as Elliot Smith

Doors are at 8:30. I've see the guys do the Jeff Buckley Tribute before and it is incredible.

Posted by Skadz at 8:17 PM | Permalink

Two items have appeared on Blabbermouth over the last few days that have caught my attention.

First, I saw It's Official: LED ZEPPELIN To Reunite For London Concert. Yes, this would be awesome, sadly, it is only one show in London. Now, rumors will be flying for a while about a full tour, but who knows? I would like to see this and if it comes to the US, I guess I will probably have to spend the cash (if I can get in to Ticketmaster fast enough).

Then, I saw LOVE/HATE To Reunite For U.K. Tour. I don't know why, but I totally dug these guys back in the early 90's. I recently found out that their music was available for free on the Net and totally rocked out to them for a couple of weeks. Now I hear they are getting together, but again, in the damned UK. Wish I could see this one.

Posted by Skadz at 11:23 AM | Permalink

Sunset is a Battle is playing at The Bullfinch Yacht Club on Thursday. Bands start at 8:30. They are the third band on, but that is subject to change. You definitely should come out and check them out (and then afterwards, NIV at the Bell.

Posted by Skadz at 6:19 PM | Permalink

of the bands you like getting more popular is that they start playing worse and worse venues. The first time I considered going to see Umphrey's McGee, they were playing at The Paradise. The Paradise is probably my favorite place in Boston to see a band these days. I have a certain spot I always stand in, the beers are cheap, the sound is good and the place is small enough that you feel like its a very personal experience. Sadly, I missed the show, I think I was heading out of town or soemthing.

A few months later they came back around and played at Avalon. I like Avalon as long as it's not overcrowded (I used to like it a lot more, but all the expansion has made it a less and less desirable place for me. I have seen Umph 3 or 4 times there in the last few years. I've dragged different friends to each show and they all had fun. The last show they played there was starting to be on verge of overcrowded (and crowded with the "wrong people").

Well, I got the sad new today that the next Umphrey's show will be at the end of October at The Orpheum Theatre. Now, The Orpheum is ok for some shows. And in general, it's not a terrible place to see a show, BUT it's definitely one of my least favorite places. This is for a bunch of reasons. Number one, it's a seated venue. I had seated venues. Number 2, you aren't allowed to bring beers in to the Theatre. So, you have to shotgun beers before the show starts and during intermission if you want to drink. Third, I just don't think it's a great place. It really needs a wicked overhaul (sitting underneath the balcony when people are dancing on it is a terrifying experience. I have seen that thing move a good foot during some shows).

I _MAY_ consider heading up to Burlington to see the 2 shows at Higher Ground just to enjoy Umphrey's as they should be enjoyed. Sadly, my "couch" up there just recently moved to Boston (after a long time talking about it), so I don't have crash space, so it makes the whole thing a lot more expensive (and well, it is week day shows).

So, who knows? I think it's awesome that Umphrey's is getting big enough to play places like The Orpheum, but in the same breath, I'd rather be seeing them at The Paradise.

Posted by Skadz at 2:58 PM | Permalink

This Friday, August 17th, the Never In Vegas boys hit Parris in Fanueil Hall for the first time ever. You all show be there, it will be an amazing time. These guys always put on quite a show and Parris will be a great room for them to get everyone going.

Posted by Skadz at 9:24 PM | Permalink

Go read my latest post over at Metroblogging Boston to see what I am up to on Friday (and so should you be)

Posted by Skadz at 10:53 PM | Permalink

I will start this off with an admission, I'm not really a Police fan. A buddy asked a couple of weeks ago if I would be interested in going and my answer was, if you can't find anyone else to go, sure. I went in to this show, expecting very little. Heck, I even bought The Police (a greatest hits compilation) the Sunday before the show (for my drive home from New York) just so I would know some material.

In the end, I realized I knew a lot more Police music than I thought I did. I think I knew about 14 of the 28 tracks on the 2 CD set, so I felt a little better after listening to it. Plus, I learned some music I didn't know, so I felt even more prepared to head to the show.

The day started off rather crappy. It was pouring pretty hard during most of the day, so I was not very hopeful to stay dry for the show. When I left to house to meet my friends, it was pouring as hard as I had seen it all day. While walking to the ferry, it slowed down a bit and by the time I got on the boat, it was just drizzling. When I disembarked, the rain had stopped and there was a big ball of fire in the sky. Things were looking better.

We got to Fenway and took a look at our seats. We were in the front row between Pesky's Pole and first base. We were basically a couple of feet away from the $250 seats, yet we had paid only $95 :) So, yes, awesome seats (thanks Brian!)

Fictionplane (Sting's son's band) opened the evening. They were ok. They won the most respect from me when they said something along the lines of, "We are like the 5th band to play Fenway Park and we totally don't deserve this". At least the were honest. They played a bunch of typical poppy rock songs. Nothing I am going to run out and buy, but I might see them over at The Paradise next time they come around for $10 :)

Around 8:20, with blue skies above, The Police hit the stage. They opened up with "Message In A Bottle". This surprised me. This is a huge hit and they are opening up with it. Well, I guess I kind of forgot, unlike a lot of old bands out on tour, The Police don't have a new CD to pimp, so it was greatest hits the whole night, so why not open up with one of the biggest?

For the next hour and 20 mins or so the band took everyone through a tour of some of their greatest hits, mostly songs that everyone could sing along with and just enjoy. They left the stage around 9:40 after an extended version of "Roxanne", to return just 2 minutes later with an encore of King of Pain, So Lonely, and Every Breathe You Take. They left the stage again and after a couple of mins came back out and finished the show off with a rockin version of Next To You.

As I said at the beginning, going in to this not being a big Police fan, I had very low expectations. Well, I was BLOWN AWAY. For a bunch of senior citizens (or at least soon to be) who haven't played together in almost 25 years, these guys sure put on quite a show. Most impressive of all to me was Stewart Copeland. I've heard great things about him as a drummer for a very long time, but seeing it live really reinforced that notion for me.

After the show, we just went home, as some of us had to get up at 5AM for Sunday morning maintenance windows (I swear, I love my job :) All in all, an awesome night and thankfully Mother Nature was in a good mood and kept the rain away while the band kicked everyone's ass.

Posted by Skadz at 10:36 PM | Permalink

Posted by Skadz at 11:44 AM | Permalink

One of my favorite local bands, Sunset is a Battle are playing Hennessy's Upstairs in Faneuil Hall. The Don't will be opening up. Show starts around 8:30. Come out and have some fun on a Wednesday!

Update: Sadly, the show tonight got cancelled due to the horrible weather outside. The good news is that it has been re-scheduled for June 12th! So, make sure you are there, hopefully it will be a much nicer day!

Posted by Skadz at 1:28 PM | Permalink

Oh my! I am a bit relieved this morning. I went and bought my tickets for Robert Randolph & The Family Band this morning and afterwards was poking around My Ticketmaster.

One of the bands I have listed in the favorite bands section is Ozomatli. When I clicked over to their name there was a show in my area! Ozomatli is coming back to tear the Paradise up on April 21st.

Last time I saw these guys at the Paradise, I think I lost about 5 pounds. It was packed, hot, and off the hook. These guys are a band you cannot miss if you enjoy a good time (and who doesn't enjoy a good time?). The tickets went on sale 2 weeks ago, so I am relieved that I was actually able to get some. So, now, go get yours and come ready to party!

Posted by Skadz at 11:46 AM | Permalink

to your question. You should come up to Boston on the 25th and see PT and go to the game on the 19th. Then after the show (it's a 6PM show, they need to open the club for the dance crowd by 10ish), we can go throw back a pint or 12 :)

Posted by Skadz at 11:43 AM | Permalink

On Saturday night, I headed out to Dante's @ Firefley's to check out Slip Kid. Slip Kid is a Who tribute band consisting of Gary Cherone (Extreme, Van Halen), his brother Markus, Paul Mangone, Dana Spellman and Jeff Calder. I was really looking forward to this since I had heard good things from a lot of different people.

Tom and I got to the venue about 9 and the parking lot was PACKED. After getting inside, it seems that many of the cars were for the restaurant. After about 15 mins of waiting, we got a spot and headed in. A band was setting up (which turned out to be Flesh or most of the members of) when we got in. Soon after heading in, they began. They were pretty good, but I wasn't overly impressed. Markus joined them for the last song or two.

A little while after they headed off, Slip Kid came on. They did two sets of great renditions of Who music. Though the band sounded awesome, I was a little disappointed in the sound. Not sure if it was the room (which I was VERY not impressed with) or the mix, but it wasn't great. I've got a copy of the set list which I will put up at some point later, but pretty much they touch on all the hits as well as a number of other songs.

Posted by Skadz at 10:57 PM | Permalink

I just posted my review of last week's Iron Maiden show over at Boston Metblogs

Posted by Skadz at 10:50 PM | Permalink

Three good shows in one week in November!

First, on Sunday, November 12th, Primus hits the Orpheum. They are touring for their greatest hits CD, which means it should be a good mix of music from the many years of Primus.

Second, on Monday, November 13th, Los Lonely Boys with Ozomatli at Avalon. Both are great bands, but I have to say Ozomatli was one of the best shows I have ever seen. Lots of energy, lots of fun. Hell, the band did a drum circle in the middle of the floor at a VERY FULL Paradise.

Third, on Wednesday, November 15th, Robert Randolph and the Family Band return to Boston. They are playing the Roxy with Van Hunt opening up. The Family Band always puts an amazing show on. Lots of danceable grooves (usually including a ton of girls from the crowd getting on the stage for "Shake Your Hips").

Two and three go on sale Saturday morning. Primus goes on sale a week from Saturday.

Posted by Skadz at 11:44 AM | Permalink

If you are looking for something to do this evening, some friends are playing over at Bulfinch Yacht Club (234 Friend St. Boston, Massachusetts 02101). I've never been there before, so I look forward to checking it out. My friends that are playing are Sunset is a Battle and Junction 18. Both are local rock bands. Should be a good time, so come down and hang out!

Posted by Skadz at 12:14 PM | Permalink

Iron Maiden is headed to Boston. They are playing Agganis Arena on Oct. 06, 2006. I'll be there.

Posted by Skadz at 12:52 PM | Permalink

So, while I was away on my east coast tour (more on that later), the Alice in Chains show in Boston went on pre-sale. Well, since I was away, I didn't get in on it and it quickly sold out. Actually, the whole thing sold out within the pre-sale, never even made it to general on sale.

So, the question for today is, does anyone have an extra they want to sell me for actual ticket value? I looked on ebay and tickets are going for as much as $200/pair. Yuck.

Posted by Skadz at 9:10 PM | Permalink

Lollapalooza announced their lineup today and it's incredible. For those of you not paying attention, Lollapalooza changed formats last year from a tour to a festival. So, it's 3 days in Chicago now instead of an afternoon all over the place.

So, this year's lineup has been announced and it's a crazy mix of popular music, jam bands and small alternative bands. Some of the highlights for me (no surprise most of the jam band varierty) are Umphrey's McGee, The Disco Biscuits, Matisyahu (more on him later), The Flaming Lips, Death Cab, Particle, and the Duo. With all the different types of bands and music, there is some great potential for some amazing collaborations, hope that some cool stuff comes out of this.

An easy to read full list of artists is here on jambands.

Posted by Skadz at 4:35 PM | Permalink

From BLABBERMOUTH.NET regarding Alice in Chains:

The band members told Launch that they will probably play a handful of U.S. club dates in late May, followed by European festival appearances over the summer and a full North American tour in the fall. Guest vocalists will most likely be used throughout the entire schedule.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PRETTY PLEASE COME TO BOSTON.

Posted by Skadz at 2:32 PM | Permalink

Just found out that my boys, Umphrey's McGee are headed back to Boston. Information is:

Saturday, May 6, 2006 at 7:00 PM
Avalon
Boston, MA

On Sale February 25, 2006 - 10:00AM

Wooo!

Posted by Skadz at 7:23 PM | Permalink

When the Bonnaroo lineup initially came out, I have to say, I was less than impressed. It was a good lineup, but nothing that is going to keep me out in the elements for a weekend.

Then, addition 1 came out, and Umphrey's and The Disco Biscuits were added. I've turned in to a huge Umphrey's fan and this made it more tempting.

Then a wonderful thing happened in Artist Additions 2. Oysterhead was added. I would LOVE to see these guys. Since they haven't played together in a while, I wonder if they will spend some time in the studio before heading down to Tenn. Could mean lots of new stuff and probably means a lot of free flowing jamming. And with the three incredible musicians that comprise Oysterhead, it could be amazing to see live.

In the end, I doubt I will make it to Tenn, as the big trip for this year is looking to be Ireland. But, I really can't wait to hear this show once it gets pushed out on to the sites.

Posted by Skadz at 10:33 PM | Permalink

Looks like Umphrey's McGee is coming to Higher Ground in South Burlington, Vermont in Fenruary. Hopefully that means they will be playing this area as well. Otherwise, I think it's time for a road trip to go visit Marc!

If you aren't listening to Umphrey's, why the hell not? They are one of the best bands putting out music today.

Posted by Skadz at 10:51 AM | Permalink

Marc drove down from Vermont on Friday afternoon and we headed over to Harborlights (err, the Bank of America Pavillion) to see Gigantour. The one bad thing about the Boston date is that it was a single stage show, so we missed out on Symphony X, Life of Agony and some others.

When we got there, Nevermore was on the stage. I ended up bumping in to some folks and didn't really pay much attention to them. Next up was Dillinger Escape Plan. I had heard a number of good things about these guys coming in to this show, so I was somewhat psyched to see them. Sadly, they totally disappointed. There were a couple of times when I thought they may start doing something good, but mostly it was a lot of screaming and jumping around.

The next band on the stage was Fear Factory, who I was very excited to see. For some reason, I thought all the original members were back, but it was very obvious that Dino was not on the stage. He is very, ummm, noticable :) Doing some research after the show, it turns out three original members got back together, with the bass player moving to guitar and then they added a new bassist. I have to say, I was disappointed with their set. What I've heard of their new album, I have been less than impressed with and it didn't really get any better live. The worst part of their set was when they started off doing Pantera's Walk and then stopped and the singer said something like "We miss you Dimebag" or something. Rather weak.

Next up was the real reason I was at this show, Dream Theater. Marc and I actually headed to our seats for this set. We were in like the 10th row, right below the speakers, so it was VERY loud. Their set was pretty good. Too much of the newer stuff for my tastes. I would have like to have heard a little more old stuff. More because I know it better than anything else. They did seem to be having a lot of fun up on the stage. The most amusing part of the evening came during their set. As we were standing in our seats, Mike and John P's wives, along with what seemed like about a dozen kids and another woman I didn't recognize were 2 rows in front of us. The kids cracked me up waving to their dad's up on stage. John even waved back at one point. Marlene left and a few minutes later, Max was crawling around on the drum kit taking pictures of Mike. If you noticed Mike looking down or back during the set, he was hamming it up for his kids. Overall, they sounded ok, too loud where I was, but ok. I'll be patiently waiting for a US "Evening With" tour, so I can hear a lot more than a 75 min set.

After DT, we headed back to the back to hang out and watch the headliner Megadeth. Overall, they put on a good show. The sound didn't sound great from the back, but that may have been because my ear drums were a bit blown out from DT. Heard some good older stuff mixed in with a bunch of the newer stuff. Marc and I were laughing our asses off about the large amount of pyro and explosions :) The comment of the night came from Matt from Event when at the end when the raining sparks pyro happened. Matt said, "Now it's a Poison show".

Overall, I enjoyed myself. I think I would have enjoyed a DT show more, but it was a good time. Good to see some friends I haven't seen in a while as well.

Posted by Skadz at 4:22 PM | Permalink

Holy Shnikes Batman

• Dave Matthews & Friends
• Jack Johnson
• Widespread Panic
• Phil Lesh & Friends w/ special guest Ryan Adams
• The Meters (Art Neville, Zigaboo Modeliste,George Porter, Jr., Leo Nocentelli)
• Trey Anastasio
• The Flaming Lips
• The String Cheese Incident
• Primus
• Ween
• The Shins
• moe.
• Spoon
• Gov't Mule
• Digable Planets
• North Mississippi Allstars
• Michael Franti & Spearhead
• The Decemberists
• Atmosphere
• Blackalicious
• The Magic Numbers
• Lyrics Born

And don't forget, this doesn't include the late night shows.

Posted by Skadz at 10:34 AM | Permalink

Last night I headed over to The Paradise to see Liz Phair. I met up with Lukas and his friend a little after 8 and we headed in.

So, I go to the Paradise on a pretty regular basis. Probably once a month or maybe a little less. I have certain routines I am used to there, where I stand, what I drink, etc. Well, when we walked in to the main room, these all went out the door, there were chairs on the floor. This was a very strange sight. The seats were already full, so we decided to head up to find a place to stand. Luckily, Lukas bumped in to some friends, so we ended up with a great place to stand, just one level up and on stage right. We had a perfect view of the stage.

When we arrived, Mat Kearney was on the stage. Just him and an acoustic guitar. He had a nice voice and sounded pretty good. I think I would have enjoyed seeing his whole set rather than just the last few songs, but he definitely had some potential.

A few minutes after 9 Liz came out with a guitar player. It was incredible being about 15 feet away from her. She played a great set over the course of the night. I think I've got a good list of the songs (below). She really seemed to be enjoying herself. She apologized early for flashing the front row (she was wearing a skirt and sitting on a stool). At that point, I was wishing to have been sitting in the front row ;) She actually was heckling the crowd at one point during Rock Me and seemingly cracked herself up enough to lose track of where she was in the song. She talked a lot over the course of the night. As people yelled songs, she would say, yeah, that would work, sadly, we haven't work on it yet. This was the first show of the tour, so they were seemingly just getting in to the flow of things. She polled the crowd at one point on which of two songs they wanted to hear. She was playing this strange looking guitar that didn't have a body, but had the outline to one. At some point, someone mentioned something about how she was balancing her breast on top of the guitar. She said something like, you can either use the smoosh method or else this method, and the guitar has this great curve there ready for it.

A very interesting part of the evening was her mentioning on multiple occasions that she would be doing a podcast in the near future. That should be real interesting. Guess I will have to keep an eye on her site to see when that starts happening. Seems like this is becoming somewhat popular with some artists.

It was definitely a great night. She played for a little under 90 mins. Good mix of new and old stuff. She really just seemed like she was chilling out and having some fun. Almost seemed like a bunch of friends sitting around an apartment jamming out some tunes. Very glad I was in attendance to see this. If I had some more cash, I'd even be tempted to try and go back tonight for the second night (which is most likely completely sold out like last night was).

So, the set list started like this:

polyester bride
girls, girls, girls
extraordinary
mesmerizing

And ended like this:

why can't i
fuck n run

In the middle (in no order) were these:

rock me
wild thing
supernova
6' 1"
divorce song

She also did 3 new songs. Two from the new album and one that got cut. One was Somebody's Miracle, the title track. The other two, I can't quite remember the names to. If anyone has an exact set list, that would be awesome.

Overall, a great time.

Someone got a great shot of Liz on stage here

Posted by Skadz at 10:50 AM | Permalink

Headed to Great Woods yesterday to see Big Summer Classic.

We arrived at the venue around 11:30, since doors were at 1 and the first band started at 1:30. We were in the second row of cars. This was a bit scary. Usually getting there an hour and a half before a show, the parking lot is pretty packed up. Not this time.

We hung out until about 2, drinking beers and making some food. At 2, we took a wander around and the parking lot was still pretty empty. A little bit later, we decided to head in. First surprise, you are allowed to bring your own sealed water in to Great Woods now, nice. Second surprise, no pat down. This was very strange considering it was a "hippie" show, you'd think they would have been looking for drugs and whatnot. Guess they were just happy that people were coming in (considering how empty the lot was).

It was VERY empty inside. It was almost like we were trespassing. We had already missed New Monsson. A little bit after we got in, Yonder Mountain String Band kicked off. These guys started off pretty hot, but got repetetive after a bit. Don't think I could sit through these guys for a full show.

Next up was Michael Franti & Spearhead. These guys put on a pretty fun show. Franti yelling "HOW YA FEELIN?" every minute or two got amusing quick. They are a good mix of rock and an R&B kind of feel. I dug em. They did a bunch of their own stuff and also did a pretty sick version of Sublime's "What I Got".

Next was Keller Williams. I enjoyed much of his set. He did a little U2 along the way and a lot of his own stuff. The parts I didn't like were where he programmed a lot of stuff and then went about his thing. I think I would have just more enjoyed him playing. He did bring the drummer from Umphrey's and the guitarist from New Monsson out for a couple of tunes, which sounded real good. Also, Martin Sexton came out for a few songs which were real good.

The next band was the one I was most looking to see, Umphrey's McGee. I have been listening to all sort of their stuff for a while now, so to finally get to see them live made me very excited. Well, they did NOT disappoint. Holy shit. These guys just ROCK. They are a good combination of Progressive Rock and Jam Music. You can tell they have listened to Dream Theater once or twice :) I was blown away. I can't wait to see a set list. They threw in "I've Got a Feelin'" by The Beatles for their cover. Michael Franti joined them for a tune too and did some nice freestyling.

Last was String Cheese Incident. Don had talked them up big time, so I was really hoping for something good. They didn't disappoint. Lots of fun, lots of different feels to the music. They covered Yes's "Roundabout". We cut out at the encore, so I have no clue of the collaboration at the end.

Over the course of the day the place filled in more and more and by the time SCI was on, it was actually pretty damn packed. Overall, great show, long day, but definitely something I would repeat. Now, if Umphrey's can just do a Boston show where I can see them for a full 2+ hours, I'll be real happy.

Posted by Skadz at 12:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Now that I have a ticket to this, I'll mention it here. Didn't want it to sell out before I got my tix :)

So, I noticed when reading all my local concert news e-mails (ticketmaster, teaparty, etc etc) that Liz Phair was coming to The Paradise next month. I almost fell out of my chair when I saw that, since Avalon looked close to sold out last time I saw her.

A small venue like the Paradise should make it a pretty special show no matter what. Then I looked at their web site and there is a blurb about the show which says:

Join Liz for an intimate acoustic evening of songs from Exile in Guyville, Whip-Smart, Whitechocolatespaceegg, and her recent selt-titled release. Also, catch a sneak peek of some new material from her forthcoming album (due out in September)

Woah! An acoustic show? In a small venue? This should be fantastic. The show is July 26th. Tickets were still available as of yesterday afternoon, I'd grab em soon, The Paradise isn't that big :)

Posted by Skadz at 11:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I'm hearing Trey Anastasio will be hitting Harborlights on July 20th.

Posted by Skadz at 11:01 AM | Permalink

Now there is a Vegoose website!

Posted by Skadz at 6:48 PM | Permalink

Details on their web site.

Seriously, can ANYTHING else go wrong this week? This week has sucked completely from weather to work to everything else and now one of the things I was trying to keep as a coming ray of sunshine gets cancelled. ARGH. This summer is starting off with a big old SUCK.

Posted by Skadz at 11:45 PM | Permalink

Last night, I headed over to Axis with Bogie to see Dredg. I had heard a little of their music before the show, but was somewhat going in blind. We got in around 7 and the place was still semi-empty, but there was a long line for Will Call. After grabbing some beers, we settled in to some space behind the soundboard, which is usually the best place to hear the music, as you are getting the same sound as the sound guy :)

The first band to the stage was Day One Symphony. These guys were very Radiohead influenced. I saw spots of brilliance, but overall, these guys were just ok. I think they have a ton of potential, but they need some more coherence. It seemed like a lot of their songs started and ended weak, but had some great middles. These guys played about 20 or 30 mins.

The next band out Circa Survive. They came out real heavy and I was looking forward to hearing something great. And then the singer started "singing". I can't really call it singing. He was more screaming, very off-key. Bogie actually turned to me and asked if it was a joke. The stranger part was they had fans in the audience. I gave them a second chance, thinking the singer might just have had an off night, I listened to some of their stuff on their web site today. It's better (and not as processed as I thought it would be), but still doesn't thrill me.

Then Dredg came out. These guys ROCKED. A lot heavier than I thought they were going to be, but at the same time very melodic. Their singer has an awesome voice. Their sound really is comparable to anyone out there. Maybe Devon Towsend's Ocean Machine, but it's also a bunch different. You have to check them out. The funny part was the singer apologized for his voice starting to go out. I laughed since I thought he sounded great and the previous singer sounded like he should have been apologizing.

The crowd at this show definitely made me feel old. At least half, if not three quarters of the crowd didn't have wristbands, meaning they were under 21. Note to the youngins: Take a shower before you go out at night. Some kid was standing by me who must have been playing sports or something during the day and then threw on a sweatshirt and came to the show. He STANK.

The sad part of the evening was after 3+ hours of being on my feet I was hurting. It sucks getting old.

Posted by Skadz at 11:27 PM | Permalink

So, the first rumor is the show this fall in Vegas from the folks who brought you Bonnaroo and Zooma is going to be Vegoose. Supposedly there is going to be an announcement in June with tickets going on sale in July. The rumored location is Sam Boyd Silver Bowl and the surrounding soccer fields.

Now, those are all great and hearing some possible details are pretty nice. But this is the best part of the current rumor mill:

"Confirmed" Acts:

• Dave Matthews Band
• Widespread Panic
• Trey Anastasio
• Phil Lesh and Friends
• Pearl Jam

Now, that sounds like a cool weekend already :) And well, it's Vegas Baby!

Posted by Skadz at 12:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I mentioned some rumors before and they seem to be continuing. The rumor now is Halloween weekend in Vegas. Shows scattered through the city over 2 or 3 days. I think my cash flow may be much better by then, so I think I may have to drag some friends and enjoy Vegas and some jams.

Posted by Skadz at 9:59 PM | Permalink

And a lot more. Trey and Ben Haper will co-headline the Zooma Tour this summer. This is put on by the folks behind Bonnaroo and seems to be being touted as a travelling mini-Roo. And even more money dumps from the wallet.

Posted by Skadz at 3:12 PM | Permalink

More money out the window .....

BIG SUMMER CLASSIC 2005 JUST ANNOUNCED:

The traveling festival features headliners The String Cheese Incident plus touring heavyweights Keller Williams, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Yonder Mountain String Band, Umphrey's McGee and New Monsoon.

Posted by Skadz at 2:56 PM | Permalink

There are some rumblings starting on the interweb about a fall Bonnaroo in Vegas this year. Now that could be scary (and a boatload of fun). Anyone else heard this?

Posted by Skadz at 12:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

According to the dates in my previous post, Dave Matthews Band are playing Boston on 07/09 and 07/10. A friend notes the Red Sox are out of town that weekend. Looking closer at the schedule, the Red Sox are out of town the entire week before and the All Star Game is the following week, so they don't return until the following Thursday. This gives crews plenty of time to set up and clean up from a show. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.....

Posted by Skadz at 10:03 PM | Permalink

[via JamBase] Dave Matthews Band have announced a HUGE summer tour.

Posted by Skadz at 7:49 PM | Permalink

Headed to Avalon tonight to go see Tesla with some friends. They are on an acoustic tour to commemorate the 15th Anniversary of Five Man Acoustic Jam. Never seen them before, so I am totally psyched.

Posted by Skadz at 11:41 AM | Permalink

According to Ozzfest Unofficial Updates, the Ozzfest 2005 lineup, may look like this:

MAIN STAGE
Black Sabbath
Iron Maiden
Anthrax ("Among The Living" lineup)
Black Label Society

SECOND STAGE
Rob Zombie
Mudvayne
Killswitch Engage
A Dozen Furies

Also a possiblity of Life of Agony being involved.

I definitely will be checking that out if the lineup ends up like that. Between Maiden, old Anthraz and KE, this show is shaping up to be incredible.

Posted by Skadz at 12:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Just before we rang in the new year, I saw one last show. I headed over to The Paradise in Boston to see the Benevento/Russo Duo with Mike Gordon of Phish playing bass.

The Duo is an Organ and Drum duo. Adding in the bass of Mike was very cool to hear. Though they probably played a bunch of original stuff, I don't really know there music all that well. Most of it just seemed like they were jamming around.

They did a number of cover's including Yes's Roundabout along with Foam by Phish. They also finished with Phish's tune Mike's Song as the encore. For this one, it was the crowd on vocals (though I hear Mike has been singing it at some shows).

The show was very cool. Interesting music and a cool crowd (as is usually found at jam shows). If you'd like to hear the music they created, you can download it here.

Posted by Skadz at 10:11 PM | Permalink

Torrentocracy posted a few quick video clips of Umprheys McGee with Phil Lesh in a torrent from a show a few weeks ago in CA.

Umphrey's McGee is a band I've been listening to a lot lately, so really wanted to check this out. Anyone happen to have this show in full? I'd love to hear it.

Posted by Skadz at 7:28 PM | Permalink

Two statements released about Coventry:

One from Dave Werlin President of Great Northeast Productions, Inc.

One from John Paluska Phish's Manager

I feel bad for all these folks. They tried so much to be apologetic for weather which was not something they could do anything about. If I was held responsible for weather I am pretty sure I would be insane by now (well, more insane than I am).

It does sound like they are trying their damnedest to make up for it. Yes, it''s not Phish live, but at least its a peace offering.

Posted by Skadz at 9:50 PM | Permalink

Hey folks. A lot of people over time have posted comments to some earlier posts about Bonnaroo. I would love it if people could post their reviews, comments, set lists, links to other sites talking about it, etc here, so I can get a nice collection together and hopefully an area for all us poor souls who missed it to get as much info as possible. Thanks!

Posted by Skadz at 5:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Man, my sister just picked the wrong weekend to get married, I really want to go to Bonnaroo. They have now put up a line-up, which looks like its just going to be nuts. The midnight to 3AM Robert Randolph and the Family Band looks like a lot of late night fun. The 3 1/2 hour Dave & Friends I would assume is going to include a lot more friends than normal. And the final set is Trey on Sunday night. I want to know what the line on Phish coming out and doing a bunch of that set with him. Obviously, lots more fun in the schedule as well. Check it out on the Bonnaroo Web Site.

Next, they announced that there will be wireless Internet access on the show grounds. That's totally cool. Now, I doubt there is going to be much power, but with a bunch of batteries, you could stay in touch with lots of people and even blog the whole show right from the grounds. That's totally cool.

As I mentioned, its my sister's wedding weekend, but I would love to hear about anyone who will be going and blogging over the course of the weekend, so I can continuously hear about what's going on and how the shows have been.

Posted by Skadz at 11:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Yet another tour this summer. KISS and Poison. Hits Great Woods on 7/16.

Posted by Skadz at 9:45 AM | Permalink

Velvet Revolver (aka Guns N' Pilots) hits Boston on 5/29, venue TBA (please be Avalon). (Dates at RollingStone.com)

Phish's Summer Festival (Aug ) seems to be being planned for Newport State Airport in Vermont according to RollingStone.com.

Also headed out on tour is Amfibian (Phish lyricist Tom Marshall's band). Only VA, VT and NY dates thus far. Check out their web site for more information.

Posted by Skadz at 9:42 AM | Permalink

Phish Summer Tour Dates have arrived! 11 shows thus far and 7 of them in the travel area. A weekend festival to be added and that should be easy to get to too.

Other interesting things found at the Phish site? Well, how's about the tour dates in RSS and iCal format? Oh yeah and the main news section in RSS. Excellent.

Posted by Skadz at 7:53 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (1)

I'm looking forward to some fun this evening. Heading up to Macnhester, NH to the Black Brimmer with some friends to see what I have dubbed Central Stu. My friends Central Basement who are currently without singer, are playing with Stu Sinclair taking up the vocals. Should be very interesting to see the synergy between the two. I guess this will also serve as a small peek in to what Central Basement may be once they get their new singer.

Posted by Skadz at 12:48 PM | Permalink

Went to see Liz Phair over at Avalon last night. Gnome-girl was SUPPOSED to be here for the show, but couldn't make it out, so Keith from CB came along with me.

It was a great show. When I went to see Liz a few months back, I was just starting to get in to her, but this time, I really knew most of the stuff she played, which made it even better. The rockin version of flower to start it off was excellent. It seemed to me that she was pretty much trying to play the whole mix CD that GG made me a while back, but maybe that was just because I was thinking she should have been there with me. The pink AC/DC t-shirt she was wearing definitely made me laugh.

Here's a setlist from a show last week or so, which seems pretty close to the setlist from last night:

Flower
Polyester Bride
Rock Me
Johnny Feelgood
Uncle Alvarez
Bionic Eyes
Divorce Song
6'1
Chopsticks
Extraordinary
Love/Hate
Help Me Mary
Red Light Fever
Never Said
Favorite
Stratford-On-Guy
Why Can't I?
Supernova

Encore:
Mesmerizing
Fuck and Run
H.W.C.

Posted by Skadz at 11:50 PM | Permalink

Went to see Bob Dylan at Avalon last night. I was totally psyched to go. Getting to see someone as great as Bob in a small club venue (capacity approx 2000) is a big treat.

I'll start with the complaints. First off, the stage setup SUCKED. Dylan was far off to the left playing keyboard most of the night. Why in HELL was he not dead center? I ended up coming in and heading to my normal location (through the biggest crowd I think I have ever seen at Avalon) and basically could not see Bob the entire night. That sucked.

Number 2, no guitar??? Bob didn't play any guitar all night long. That is no good. I would rather have had him at least play a couple of songs. Even better if he did a couple of songs solo.

Now that those are out of the way. WOW. What a show. Bob's voice sounded awesome. You could almost even understand him :) He was projecting well too. It was very interesting to hear how he plays his own songs these days. Very different than the album versions you are used to. I definitely didn't recognize some songs until a certain hook in the vocals or something.

Overall, an amazing show, great to see Bob in a place that small.

Setlist:

1. Maggie's Farm
2. I'll Be Your Baby Tonight
3. Lonesome Day Blues
4. Just Like A Woman
5. Things Have Changed
6. Tell Me That It Isn't True
7. Highway 61 Revisited
8. Can't Wait
9. Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again
10. High Water (For Charley Patton)
11. It Ain't Me Babe
12. Honest With Me
13. Saving Grace
14. Summer Days

Encore:
15. Cat's In The Well
16. Like A Rolling Stone
17. All Along The Watchtower

Posted by Skadz at 3:20 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (1)

As I have mentioned earlier, Dave Matthew Band is planning on doing a festival show this summer. Well, someone has come along and created a fansite dedicated to the show.

Posted by Skadz at 9:47 AM | Permalink

RollingStone.com: News: DMB Plot New York City Fest

Must go to this. Hopefully we get both DMB and Dave & Friends. That would kick ass.

Posted by Skadz at 1:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

The Dream Theater Information Network: Dream Theater in LA LA Land

Holy shit! This sounds like one of the best shows ever. Too bad I couldn't be there. If ANYONE has a copy of this show, I very very very much want a copy.

Posted by Skadz at 12:39 PM | Permalink

Saturday night, a bunch of us gathered over to my buddy Don's house for a farewell. He's moving out of town after many months of unemployment and the future not looking bright. So, the party started at Don's and then we headed over to Harper's Ferry to see The Dirty Dozen Brass Band.

I'd never seen DDBB, but had heard good things. Three guys got up on the stage and started playing. I was confused for a moment, as I thought this may have been the whole band. Moments later, the rest of the band joined them on stage and the fun began.

The show was great. They played a lot of what I assume were their own songs or maybe some New Orleans standards. Later in the set, we got some covers I knew including "Use Me" and "Superstitious". Overall, lots of fun. The band seemed to be just having a blast up there.

I've thrown a bunch of pics up on my moblog, though they came out super SMALL as I had the camera on Low Res instead of Hi Res.

Posted by Skadz at 10:04 PM | Permalink

Holy SH*T! Bob Dylan is playing Avalon in Boston. Avalon is a club that holds about 1800 people. Damn. This could be the show of the year for me. Info here.

Posted by Skadz at 1:01 PM | Permalink

I've been thinking about this for a long time and just never gotten around to posting it, so here goes.

So, a few months ago, I was looking on Lukas's LivePhish (not the official site, but a message board) that one of the recent shows was at bt.etree.org. I looked at this site and was amazed. People were posting all sorts of show from jam bands (and some others) up on the Internet. I always knew there was a trading community in the area of concert taping, but didn't really realize it had moved to the Internet as much as it had. Especially with high quality recordings being so huge, I would think it would be very hard to move the data around. This is the first piece where BitTorrent comes in.

BitTorrent allows a person to upload the data to a couple of users. As the peers get the data, they then are able to upload data to other users. It basically begins to weave a web of peer to peer data that can quickly disperse the load on one person's Internet connection to many people. This can expand quickly and have lots of people able to get the data quickly. This makes sending out shows much easier for the initial taper of the show.

So, why would I call this the ultimate hippie application? Well, it's based on the same principles a lot of hippies tend to follow. It's all about sharing and helping out. People are getting something from the one taper, but then are trying to help out everyone else by allowing people to download pieces from them. You could almost call it digital karma. You help people out and the next time around, if they get to the show before you, they will help you out. It all comes back in the end. I know this from experience, I actually had a show that I had yet to finish downloading and a quick message to the board and someone opened up a window and I was able to finish downloading the show. In turn, I always leave windows open after I finish downloading so others can continue to get good music from me.

Some of the site I like to visit on a normal basis are Sharing The Groove Message Board, bt.etree.org and recently Live Music Archive at the Internet Archive. If you are a fan of live music, these are definitely some places you should check out and as one of the sites is named, Share the Groove!

Posted by Skadz at 11:54 PM | Permalink

Went to the Orpheum on Friday to see OAR (Of A Revolution) and Robert Randolph and the Family Band with Don. I was there to see Randolph, but it seems like OAR was definitely the favored band. The supposed schedule was OAR to open and Randolph to end the show the second night, so we figured we had lots of time. We met up early at the bar and then headed over to The Times to see Greg for a while.

We got to the Orpheum right around 8. The entranceway was packed with youngins. I would have to say the average age was 19 or so. Don and I grabbed some water and reached our seats as Randolph hit the strage. Guess all the reports of him going on second were wrong. Glad we didn't wait too long to get to the show. Randolph put on a great set. Shake Your Hips had the normal girls on stage, which I was unsure they could pull off at the Orpheum. A bunch of covers too. Purple Haze, Good Times, Bad Times and Billie Jean. Good set, but I definitely miss some of the older stuff like The March and I Don't Know What You Come To Do.

During the break, I headed out to smoke. More notice that it was a damn young crowd. Came back in and OAR started a few minutes later. I really didn't know OAR at all. They were definitely pretty good. I definitely think some of my friends could be this band if they just got away from some of the pop stuff. They had a Dave Matthews with more reggae vibe. I definitely enjoyed them. They covered Sunday Bloody Sunday, which sounded pretty damn sweet. We left during Crazy Game of Poker (I think). We missed Randolph joining them on stage (I would have been really annoyed if I missed it the night before with a Fool in the Rain closer with both bands).

Definitely a good show overall. I wish I could find someone who recorded both bands on Friday. I got a copy of OAR from Thursday which is pretty cool. I may download some more of their stuff to see if I can get more of a feel for them. Oh yeah, and I need the set list for Friday for Randolph.

Oh yeah, this is my first post trying out BloGTK, let's see how it works.

Posted by Skadz at 11:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (1)

Back again, Geddy's Back, Tell Some Friends.

Rush announced dates for their 30th Anniversary Tour today. August 12th here in Boston.

Posted by Skadz at 4:23 PM | Permalink

2004 Bonnaroo Confirmed Artists:

The Dead
Dave Matthews & Friends
Bob Dylan
Trey Anastasio
Willie Nelson
David Byrne
Primus
Wilco
Burning Spear
String Cheese Incident
Ani DiFranco
moe.
Gov't Mule
Los Lobos
Galactic
Yo La Tengo
Femi Kuti
Medeski Martin & Wood
Gomez
Yonder Mountain String Band
Damien Rice
North Mississippi Allstars Hill Country Review
Beth Orton
My Morning Jacket
Gillian Welch
The Del McCoury Band
Taj Mahal
Sam Bush Band
Vida Blue feat. the Spam Allstars
Los Lonely Boys
Grandaddy
Kings of Leon
Bill Laswell's Material
Soulive
Neko Case
Calexico
Leftover Salmon
Cut Chemist
Chris Robinson & New Earth Mud
Umphrey's McGee
Maroon5
The Black Keys
Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra
The Bad Plus
Marc Broussard
Donovan Frankenreiter
Blue Merle

DROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!! I think I may have to get over my fear of company and go enjoy this.

Tickets for the 2004 Bonnaroo Music Festival will go on sale Saturday, February 21st at 10:00 AM Eastern Time through http://www.bonnaroo.com

Posted by Skadz at 12:12 PM | Permalink

From Phish.com:

PHISH will play three shows at the Thomas and Mack Arena in Las Vegas on April 15, 16 and 17. These dates will be Phish's only shows before the summer.

Vegas Baby? Vegas? Who wants to fly me out? I may have to go to this, well, if I can figure out the cash.

Posted by Skadz at 10:26 PM | Permalink

This is currently a RUMORED list of Phish 2004 Tour Dates for everyone's information. Do not ask me about anything, this is just something I found and thought I would pass along. I don't know if therre will be more, I don't know why they aren't playing your town, etc etc etc.

Also, album is rumored to be out May 20.

If these hold true, definitely expect to find me at the Worchester shows and Vegas SURE looks like it would be a good time in May.

Posted by Skadz at 2:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Dates for the Bonnaroo Music Festival 2004 have been confirmed as June 11-13.

I've missed this two years in a row and have heard nothing but good reviews. Amazing musicians both years and probably a whole new set of good ones this year. I just don't think I can do the camping. Just not my style. Definitely not much of an outdoors person. Who knows, maybe the lineup will just plain be not miss this year.

Posted by Skadz at 12:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (66)

Argh! Life Of Agony is going on tour with their original lineup next month. They are playing Worchester instead of Boston. Sucky. I've seen these guys a few times and it's always been an amazing show. I still tell a story from one of their shows every time mosh pits come up. I really hate that a lot of the heavier bands that I like seem to be playing out in Worchester insead of playing Boston these days. I've missed a number of shows I would have enjoyed lately because of this. It's just not worth the drive and the huge hassle of trying to park back in the South End when getting home late at night.

Posted by Skadz at 9:38 AM | Permalink